In a significant diplomatic development, Jamaica has abruptly terminated its long-standing health cooperation agreement with Cuba, resulting in the complete withdrawal of Cuban medical personnel from the Caribbean nation. The decision, confirmed by Jamaican authorities on March 4th, directly responds to sustained pressure from the United States government.
The repatriation process concluded Thursday as the final members of the Cuban medical brigade arrived at José Martí International Airport in Havana. The returning professionals were greeted by high-ranking Cuban officials including Deputy Prime Minister Eduardo Martínez Díaz, Public Health Minister José Angel Portal Miranda, and other health sector leaders.
First Deputy Minister of Public Health Tania Margarita Cruz Hernández delivered an emotional welcome address, praising the medical professionals for their service. “The humble will not forget that you were the first to reach places where no doctor had ever gone before,” she stated, emphasizing that Jamaica’s decision deprives its citizens of essential healthcare services from a nation with which Cuba shares deep bonds of friendship.
The terminated program represented one of Cuba’s most successful international cooperation initiatives. Over the past three decades, more than 4,700 Cuban medical professionals have served in Jamaica, delivering extraordinary results including treatment for over 8.1 million patients, performance of 74,302 surgical procedures, assistance with 7,170 births, and the saving of more than 90,000 lives.
Additionally, through the Operation Miracle program active since 2010, nearly 25,000 Jamaicans had their vision restored or improved. The Cuban Foreign Ministry characterized Jamaica’s decision as unilateral and regrettable, noting that it interrupts decades of fruitful collaboration between the two nations.